An embodiment of the present invention relates generally to the art of taxidermy, and more particularly, to a jointed leg system for taxidermy.
Currently, most animal skins are mounted over a rigid foam animal form (sometimes referred to as a “mannequin” or “mannequin form”). With the rigid foam mannequin, the arms and legs are molded in a fixed position (molded next to the body as seen in, for example, FIG. 1) to keep the skin tight or provide a better fit. In some cases a flexible foam mannequin is used but the same problem of dealing with the excess skin exists. When preparing the mannequin for use the taxidermist must cut a “slot” at the intersection of each joint to allow the skin to slide in place properly at the joint as it would occur in a natural fold. In a case where the leg or arm is folded against the body, the same type of “slot” must be cut to allow the excess skin to be properly tucked.
This problem is best described by imagining that a person's arm is attached to the abdomen, e.g., “Napoleon style.” With the arm glued to the abdomen, if the person were instructed to put on a jacket, there would need to be a separation, or “slot,” created between the arm and the abdomen for the jacket to slide between. This is the issue with mounting an animal skin over a mannequin with the appendages in a fixed position.
It would be desirable to provide a mannequin that does not require “slots” for fitting of the skin and allows anatomically correct bending of the appendages, at least during the taxidermy process.